Boots

What is not to love about a poncho, easy to wear, super cute and so on trend right now. A poncho is a great way to add another layer to your look while amping up the cozy factor. I am sure I have shared in the past my love of cozy looks.

When styling a Poncho, you need to balance the loose fit of the poncho with fitted clothing underneath. That can come in the form of some leggings and boots, or a shear top and skinny jeans. A poncho can be the perfect piece of light outerwear to throw on when Christmas shopping, when I head into the Mall I hate wearing my big bulky coat, but its to cold to go without something. A poncho is the perfect piece of outerwear that will keep you looking chic, and warm enough to get in and out of the Mall during the Holidays.

My new favorite outfit of all time. The softest sweater ever, plaid and some skinny jeans. Now I know what you might be thinking, um hello that outfit does NOT show off your curvaceous bod Anne. I agree, but its so soft and comfortable. This sweater is relaxed and falls easily over my flannel and curves. I wanted to balance this sweater with some skinny jeans that are very fitted. I wore this particular look with wedge booties, but it would also work great with some riding boots. When shopping for a sweater that you want to layer with, really consider how its going to lay over the top of the button up you have in mind. I like a looser look, so I sized up in the sweater.

I love BIG jewelry, so I picked a bold statement necklace to pair with the sweater and skinnies. But smaller subtle accessories would be just as chic.

Its that time of year again. Where you find yourself getting ready to walk out the door in morning and you question if you need to grab that coat or not. I put off the inevitable “Coat” weather for the longest that I can bear it. I love to layer my look with sweaters, scarves and heavier fabrics through the fall. My down coat doesn’t see the light of day until December. I will dutifully wear my big down coat from December to March 1. Then all bets are off, I go back to layering and boycott “Coat” weather once again.

Sweaters and Skinnies, I know you have both in your closet. These two staple items for the Fall Fashionista can be whatever you want them to be, cozy, sexy, or relaxed. I like to pair my skinnies with everything from riding boots, to moccasins. But when I want to lend my look a sexier vibe I grab my wedge booties, effortlessly chic and comfortable the wedge bootie can really lend that cozier look a sexy vibe. AND WHO DOESNT WANT TO FEEL SEXY!

For the past couple of weeks I have been on the hunt for a new black boot. Each year I update my boot collection in the Fall. I have this thing about boots, some fashionistas have a thing about purses, or nail polish, or expensive jeans. While I do love all of those things, for me its boots I just freaking LOVE boots. Over the years I have curated my tastes in a good boot specifically to leather all weather boots. I am really hard on my shoes, I always have been. That now translates into needing really good shoes, and a variety of them to share the workload. Thats at least what I tell my husband every time a new boot box comes through the door. Haha.

I have fabulous brown boots, I have fabulous snow boots, I have fabulous rain boots, I have fabulous wedge boots, I have fabulous riding boots, I have fabulous cowboy boots. My current black boot situation is not good, the pair from last year was not quality. So I am on the hunt. I want something rugged but subtle, not refined. I like a boot with buckles and a thick sole. I also need a wide calf. I want a leather boot, that is waterproof but not insulated(I have insulated boots already). With all of those specifications my pool of choices has become pretty small. I am sharing my options and the boots that I am picking from.

Being a curvy boot loving girl, I have to be careful to balance my whole appearance when wearing boot and skinnies. A rugged boot, with buckles and some slouch helps create a balance to your look.

I had a crazy week last week so only 3 looks got captured for my weekly outfit round up. My photographer is out of town, and with the days getting shorter its harder to get photos in the evening. Here is a re-cap of a few of the looks I put together this week!

On Saturday the hubby and I headed out for an adventure around Southern Michigan. The Mitten State has become increasingly popular in recent years for wineries. They are popping up everywhere! We live just west of Ann Arbor, near the popular southern Michigan wine trail. To celebrate our anniversary this year Keith and I decided to tour some wineries in our area. We had a blast, bought way to much wine and and ate way to much cheese.

First stop!J Trees Winery in Tecumseh Michigan, this beautiful Cidery and Winery is located in the restored Hayden Mill in Tecumseh. I loved their Frazzle sparkling Rosé! I loved the atmosphere and decor of this location, it was light and airy with lots of photographs and fantastic light fixtures. The bar was bright and felt fresh and trendy.

Next!Flying Otter Winery in Adrian Michigan, this beautiful all outdoor space had fantastic views and great atmosphere! I fell in love with their Apple Pie Dessert wine, and Keith loved the Chancellor table red. We were able to walk around amongst the grapes a bit before taking off for the next spot.

NEXT! We traveled over to Brooklyn Michigan home of The Michigan International Speedway to visit Cherry Creek Winery. This place was beyond cool, located in a restored one room schoolhouse. This Winery also had live music, a great patio and THE BEST Lambrusco I have ever had! After the tasting we just hung out and listened to music on the patio for awhile.

Our next stop was Lone Oak Vineyard Estate in Grass Lake Michigan! What was neat about this winery, was that it was an Estate winery, meaning the only grapes used to create the wine were grown on the property.

Our last stop of the day was The Sand Hill Crane Vineyard. The favorite from our first wedding anniversary. Keith and I picked a wine from this vineyard on our first anniversary that we plan on opening on our 10 year anniversary. This year at Sand Hill Crane we purchased a Maple Syrup wine that will knock your socks off, aptly named Annie’s Mapleshine, and a Apple Crisp wine that you serve warm that is simply delicious.

We had planned to end the day with an elegant dinner somewhere BUT someone (that would be me) had a little too much wine, so we ordered greek salads from takeout and relaxed at home with some Criminal Minds and WATER. lol

I have yet to really post on Curls and Contours about my Equestrian life. This post is long overdue for multiple reasons, one being that so much of my personal style stems from my equestrian roots, and two riding is a HUGE part of my life. I spend my days in three versions of the same outfit. Mornings I can be seen running around in leggings and sneakers, afternoons I can be seen in skinnies and a cute top, and evenings I have on boots, breeches or jeans and a barn top.

I am blessed to have three beautiful horses in my life. All of them like people bring something different to the table. I have the youngster who is bred for greatness but is still a work in progress, the people pleaser who is just happy to be where you are, and the beautiful bay mare who runs the whole operation and is as much of a princess as I am. I am beyond blessed to have these beautiful creatures in my life, and I am lucky to call them teammates in competition.

Fall is my favorite season for riding, so look forward to more posts on C&C on my Equestrian life!

This weekend the weather was TERRIBLE. Rainy, cold, drizzly, and yuck! BUT we had a mission, we had to get our pumpkins out of the garden before they would begin to rot on the vine. So we made a plan to harvest the 9 beautiful pumpkins that were grown in our backyard. It was so much fun, we had our 4 year old niece over to help us get them, and so she could pick one to take home and keep for Halloween.

This time of year is especially significant to Keith and I, we were married 5 years ago this October. Our wedding theme was Glamorous Fall, and it was beautiful and perfect. We were married before Pinterest existed so I consider myself lucky. My wedding day was perfect and free from the pressure of the perfect Pinterest bride. I never felt the pressure to DIY the shit out of my wedding day. I was a Bride that had to buy ACTUAL wedding books and talk to designers and florists about ideas and designs. I will share my day someday.

We had a blast harvesting our pumpkins and decorating the porch, we followed up this chilly afternoon with Hocus Pocus, and easy baked apples.

My jacket is vintage, but this southwestern look is really popular right now. Here are a few options to recreate this look without having to search through thrift shops and flea markets.

AND HAVE YOU SEEN MY BOOTS! So amazing, waterproof, stylish, they fit my curvaceous calves! I wear them all the time, from the barn to mall. These boots never miss a beat! The best part is that the “Equestrian” style of dress has gone mainstream, so even if you don’t ride these babes will be perfectly on trend.

What is it about that perfect little outfit when the heavens open up and rain hotness down on you? One second you are some curvy hag, and the next you are a stone cold fox. I know you know what I am talking about, as woman we ALL have that one little outfit/top/dress that just WORKS. This little number is that for me. AND believe me when I tell you I have a shit load of clothing, I really should have more than one foxy outfit but alas I don’t. I mean, I regularly do my laundry every two weeks.

Ok now that I got that out of my system, lets get down to it. Date night outfits, do you get fixed up before you go out on the town? I really like too, and I don’t mean ball gown fancy. I just mean some fresh lipstick, cute top and MAYBE some wedges.

Skinny jeans(preferably jeggings because duh), and a cute little top is one of the easiest ways to step it up before you step out for the night. If you are struggling with colors keep it basic, dark on the bottom and then mix it up with a fun flowy top. I also typically do dark comfortable heels as well so that my leg looks the longest it possibly can.

Also….Monochrome so amazeballs so if you aren’t sure when it comes to color. Try black and white, it always works. ALWAYS.

Ann Taylor is known for making professional clothing for women. I picked up this pretty little dress and knew that it had the versatility to be much more than just a dress for the office. When I am shopping for clothing it MUST be versatile. I only buy something when I know that I can wear and re-wear a piece over and over again. Like I have wrote about before when you build a solid foundation of quality pieces you can really wear your wardrobe to its fullest extent. This dress is light, and can easily be worn in the summer with sandals, as Fall makes its way into our lives this dress can be worn with tights and boots. If you have a dress that has that light feel, have you considered pairing it with tights and boots for Fall?

Hey babe, welcome to Curls and Contours. This is the blog for the curvy girl that wants it all, thats me and if you are here then that is you too! In this space you will find lots of glam, lots of black dresses(I have a love affair with black dresses), and lots of inspiration.